Agents of SHIELD: Nightmares
by Alasse Fefalas
Summary: May catches Skye in a nightmare and tries to wake her up. A bit like a mother-daughter bonding session. (One-shot)


**Nightmares**

By Alasse Fefalas

It wasn't rare for May to be out of the cockpit, sitting around in the lounge and taking a break. It was just that no one saw her doing it much - they were usually asleep. She liked it that way, anyway. It wasn't that she wasn't sociable, she simply preferred to keep to herself.

She had a routine: 2.30am, take a break from the stick. Either she made herself a cup of coffee and put her feet up while reading the news, or give herself the luxury of sleeping on a bed. Then, at 3am, she would go back to the head of the plane.

May checked her watch. It was almost 5 minutes to 3. Deciding she was done with her coffee break, she stood up and washed the cup. A soft noise caught her attention as she was placing the cup back into the drawer. It sounded like a soft groan, gradually getting louder. Eyebrow raised, she followed the sound, stopping outside of Skye's bunk. She listened intently, not wanting to invade the other woman's privacy.

A soft ruffling of the sheets, like as if she was tossing and turning. A low groan.

"No... please..." Skye's voice drifted out. It was so soft, she might have missed it if she wasn't listening for it. "Help..."

May knocked on the door lightly. "Skye?"

"Help," Skye repeated, this time her voice stronger. "Don't kill me, please."

Alarms rang in May's head as she threw the door open. Her eyes darted around the room, making sure there was nothing trying to kill them. Finally, they rested on Skye. Her face was pale, her hair drenched in sweat. Her blanket was wrapped haphazardly around her body, probably an aftermath of battling with it in her sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed, fear apparent on her sleeping face.

Closing the door behind her, May pressed a button on the console, making the bunk soundproof - there was no need to wake the rest. Gently, she touched Skye's shoulder. "Skye? Wake up."

Skye jerked in her bed. "Don't shoot me!"

"Skye, I'm not going to shoot you," May said softly.

"No!" Skye screamed as her arms started flailing around, attempting to claw at everything around her. "Please don't hurt me!"

May winced slightly when Skye managed to accidentally leave three long lines along her jaw. She took a loose hold of the other woman's wrists in one hand to ensure she didn't hurt either of them any further. With her free hand, she gently stroked Skye's hair. "Shhh... it's okay. It's May. You're fine, Skye. You're safe."

Skye's eyes flew open. Her high pitched scream died in her throat. May immediately released her wrists and withdrew her touch. She sat up with a start, her breaths coming in short, quick puffs. She looked around her bunk with panicked eyes, startled when she saw the Asian woman standing beside her bed.

"You okay?" May asked.

"What happened?" Skye's voice was hoarse from screaming.

"You were having a nightmare."

"Oh." Her breathing was starting to stabilise as she slowly calmed down. "Did I wake anyone?"

"I put up the soundproofing."

"Oh... thanks," Skye nodded, looking away.

"How long has it been going on?" May crossed her arms, noticing that the younger woman was deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"For... a while now." Skye looked down and absently played with the blanket with her fingers.

"How long, Skye?" May pressed.

"Ever since I got out of the medical unit," Skye said, ashamed.

Sighing, May sat on the edge of the bed. "It's not something to be ashamed of, Skye. You got shot. Twice. You almost died. Nightmares are bound to happen."

"I know... but I can't seem to get rid of it." Skye shook her head. "It's not like you have nightmares either so..."

"I get them, Skye. I'm just better at hiding them," May said, a grim smile on her face. "I've seen and done too many things to not have them."

Skye looked up and caught the older Agent's surprisingly soft gaze. "Is that why you don't sleep a lot?"

"Partially the reason but I'm not telling you to forgo sleep. You need it."

"How do I control it?"

"You can try taking control of your dreams. The next time you have a nightmare, try making it as though you're knocking them down, not the other way round."

Skye pulled her legs close to her chest. "I don't think I can do that."

"Or you can try the cheesy method: going to bed with a happy thought," May shrugged.

Skye quirked an eyebrow. "Does that really work?"

"Sometimes."

Sighing, Skye buried her head between her knees. "Will it go away?"

May nodded. "It will, after a while."

Skye looked up and nodded. "Hopefully." Her eyes narrowed and stared at the three marks on the other Agent's face. "Did I do that?"

May touched the wound on her face. It hadn't bled much and was already starting to scab over. "It's just a scratch."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Skye apologised in a panicked voice.

"Hey, it's okay," May said calmly, placing her hands on the other woman's shoulders to calm her down. "I've had worse. At least you didn't try to punch me."

Skye nodded. "And um... are you gonna tell Coulson?"

May stood up. "It's not my secret to tell. Any time you need to talk, you know where to find me." Pressing the same button on the console, she opened the door and walked out. She was about the close the door fully when she heard Skye call out.

"Agent May."

Opening the door wide enough for herself, she cocked her head a little to the left. "Yes, Skye?"

"Thanks. For everything."

A small smile formed on her lips. "Goodnight, Skye. Rest well."

"Goodnight."

Fin.

* * *

A/N: Ok, first a disclaimer. I don't know whether going to sleep with a happy thought can chase nightmares away (it doesn't say anywhere that it does, so I highly doubt it does...), I just wanted May to say something cheesy HAHAHA. With everything that's been happening, I figured I wanted to write something heartening. Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are much loved! Thanks for reading!


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